What Do You Want, Ron?
by princessjob
Summary: Then, I knew there was nothing I wanted more than to see my best friends, the two people I love most in the world, to be happy. I also knew that there was nothing in the world that could ever make me more happy than to see them happy together."
1. Chapter 1

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**Hello, everybody!! This is my first Harry Potter fanfic. I wrote it with my best friend Katherine! (Yay, Katherine!) She has done many Harry Potter fanfics before, and I think our styles meshed really well together, so I'm sure you will all love it! Enjoy!**

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Harry's POV

I wrapped my arms around Ginny as I felt her soft, warm lips press gently against my own. I felt her return the embrace as she lightly raked her delicate fingers through my unruly hair. As I attempted to hold her closer, she broke the kiss by gently pressing her palms against my shoulders and leaning back with a mischievous grin dancing in her eyes.

She called my name.

But before my brain could formulate a response, concern flitted across her brow and she called my name again, this time with a worried edge.

I quickly opened my mouth to reassure her, but, to my horror, my vocal chords seemed to be absent. I tried again to speak, anxious because of her worried tone, but still, nothing.

She called to me once more, then again, repeatedly, her voice morphing lower and lower. Suddenly, her voice registered as the familiar, rough baritone to which I had become so familiar. It was Ron's voice, quietly calling my name. I then realized I was not with Ginny, but in the second bed set up in Ron's very small, very orange room of the Burrow.

"What do you want, Ron?" I asked through gritted teeth, my heavy eyelids refusing to open.

"I really need to talk to you about something."

"Right then. Well, I'm sure I'll be dying to hear all about it in the morning. 'Night, mate." And with that, I rolled back over, squeezing my eyes shut even more tightly than before, trying to hold onto my fading dream.

"This is important," he persisted. "Lumos."

"OI, RON!" I yelped as the room became illuminated in the light radiating from my traitor of a best friend's wand. I pulled the quilt up to cover my head.

"Sorry, mate, but I need your help. More than your help really. Your permission."

This last statement was enough to pique my curiosity, and I pulled my covers down far enough to peer up at my friend, standing earnestly, almost nervously, at the foot of my bed with a small, anxious smile on his face. Not once, not even when fighting the Dark Lord himself had I ever seen my best friend look so nervous. This realization caused me to sit abruptly upright in my bed and shoot a questioning but concerned glance in his direction.

"Yeah, anything. What's happened?"

Ron stared determinedly at the floor.

"Well, mate…Harry. The thing is, with the anniversary of the defeat of You-know-who coming up next week-" He stopped here to quickly glance up at me, and refocused his attention to the floor before continuing. "I've been thinking about what's important to me, you know?"

"I know." I paused, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, I swung my legs off the bed and patted the area next to me, inviting him to sit down. As he was walking, I prompted, "And what exactly have you been thinking about?"

All of a sudden, he began to speak so fast that I had to concentrate to catch it all. "Even though traditionally I'm supposed ask the father- well, he's in Australia and doesn't even know he has a daughter but I just really want to do this right for _her_ and I thought you're even more than a brother to her. You're the only one who's been true to her, her only true family…"

He broke off suddenly, staring intently at me. "Ron?" I questioned, even more curious now.

"Harry? Can I have your permission, your blessing, to marry our best friend, our Hermione?"

A wave of emotions and memories crashed over me all at once. The fist time we met Hermione in first year on the train, the look on Ron's face as he watched her dance with Krum at the Yule Ball, their first kiss before the final battle.

And in that split second, I knew there was nothing I wanted more than to see my best friends, the two people I love most in the world, to be happy. I also knew that there was nothing in the world that could ever make me more happy than to see them happy together. And the fact that Ron had come to ask my blessing, my permission, was overwhelming. That he could respect and care for my judgment so much…

I struggled to regain my composure and think of something funny to say to distract me from the tears of joy gathering behind my eyes.

"No," I spluttered, choking over my words, half laughing.

I saw Ron's face fall, and though I tried to assure him of my joke, my voice caught in my throat, causing a strangled sound to escape instead.

"Oh," he gasped. "I understand. Maybe we shouldn't…"

"No, Ron, OF COURSE I give you my blessing!" I exclaimed, not able to suppress the very wide, very sincere grin already plastered across my face.

"Really?" he breathed, not able to conceal the happiness radiating from him. Despite his apparent joy, Ron bit his lip and looked down again. "Then can I ask you one more thing? Will you– will you be my best man?"

As if it was possible, I became even more elated. I tried to keep my voice quiet, so as not to wake the rest of the house, Hermione included. "Yes, Ron. Yes, I would love to be your best man."

"Thanks, mate." He threw a grateful glance toward me then looked away again, this time at the wall by his bed. "I mean, it all depends on what she says though. You know, yes or no." Even the Dursley's would have been able to detect the fear in his voice when Ron murmured that last word.

"Cheer up, Ron. You know she will. She loves you, too."

My words seemed to reassure him, and my best friend's eyes lit up again. I looked at him. "Speaking of, when are you planning on, you know……proposing?" I watched curiously as his expression became thoughtful.

"I'm not sure. I still have to get a ring and decide _how_ I want to do it…" He trailed of, still thoughtful. Then he looked back at me. "Thanks, Harry," Ron proclaimed, standing to his feet, now not even bothering to hide his gratitude. "I mean it, really. Your blessing means the world to me, and, honestly, I could never get married without you standing there next the me as my best man."

Ron stuck out one arm for a friendly handshake, but, allowing emotions to overwhelm me, I pulled my best friend into a hug.

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**Well? What do you think? Good? Bad? Don't care? Tell us in a review!! They're greatly appreciated! Chapter Two will be up soon!**

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry's POV

We were at the Burrow again, in Ron's and my room, talking with each other, Ginny, and Hermione, celebrating Victory Day, the anniversary of the defeat of Voldemort. Ron had a lazy arm thrown around Hermione's shoulders, and Ginny was playing with my hair.

I just didn't understand why the Ministry insisted on naming this day, but at least the rest of the world was allowing me to celebrate it with my friends instead of in some parade or behind some podium, telling the rest of the magical world everything that happened, and blah, blah, blah.

Interrupting his sister's laughter, Ron joked, "Well, at least he's not waking me up with his screaming every night anymore." Ron flashed me a grin which I quickly returned.

"What Ron is trying to say, in his own insensitive way," Ginny explained, shooting a piercing look at Ron, "is that we are all so glad that that _thing_ isn't bothering you anymore." She reached up to softly brush my scar, which was warm under her cool hand.

"We're all so proud of you, Harry," Hermione said, referring to the event we were currently celebrating. Before I could protest, she continued on. "And here we are, a year later, all alive and well!"

Suddenly, Ginny and Ron's previously laughing eyes fell to the floor. Seeing their reactions, Hermione and I automatically glanced at the portrait of the Weasley family on the wall, all of them smiling and happy. The twins were high-fiving each other.

"Erm, I guess not _all_ of us are alive and…uh, well," Hermione said embarrassedly, gently touching Ron's arm with her hand.

"Fred, Moody, Lupin, Hedwig," I paused and gulped at the mention of my pet. "And God, even Dobby…"

"At least we managed to get the rest of the elves out," Hermione interjected, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," I said with a small laugh. "All thanks to Ron…Who knew?"

Ginny spoke, ignoring a small protesting "Hey!" from Ron. "Yeah, I guess SPEW did kind of work out after all, Hermione, despite those ridiculous badges!"

"Not to mention," I added, "it led to you two's first kiss."

"In the middle of the bloody battle, nonetheless," giggled Ginny as Hermione blushed.

I noticed that Ron's gaze had risen from the floor to Hermione's face when I'd mentioned their kiss. Hermione was still embarrassed, and Ginny still laughing next to me, so only I noticed the strange way he looked at her.

As I opened my mouth to ask Ron what was wrong, he suddenly jumped up from his place on the wooden floor, towering over us.

"Ron!" Ginny gasped, surprised at her brother's movement.

I saw the way Ron was staring into Hermione's eyes and understood what was about to happen. Before I could even think about registering how I felt about this development, Ron was on one knee, still looking at Hermione.

"Hermione, will you marry me?" Ron asked.

I noticed several things at once. First was Ginny, frozen next to me. She looked just as surprised at Ron's outburst as Hermione did. But before I could focus on Hermione's expression too much, I noticed Ginny's lips turn up into an almost triumphant grin.

Hermione, of course, looked completely shocked. I'm positive that a proposal from Ron was the last thing she expected to happen right now, except for maybe a proposal from me.

But the expression that stood out to me the most was Ron's. He was dead serious. He was more serious, more solemn, than I've ever seen him before. There would be not doubt in anyone's mind that he truly meant what he had asked.

Only a moment had passed. Hermione's gaze was locked with Ron's. They stared at each other for a long second, then Hermione seemed to remember Ginny and me sitting just a few feet away.

"Um." Hermione looked back at Ron, then at us again.

I felt a sharp pressure at my side and realized that Ginny had nudged me so I would pay attention to her, giving Ron and Hermione some privacy.

"Harry, I received a letter from Neville today," Ginny said.

"Er, yes, how is he?" I responded, working to keep my gaze on her instead of on my best friends.

Before Ginny could reply, I heard Hermione's voice softly saying, "Ron, let's go talk over here, can we?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him nod then scramble back up to his feet, pulling Hermione up with him. A moment too late, Ginny answered my question. "Says he's doing fine. He's studying this new plant someone discovered. Then he said something-or-other about wanting to talk to McGonagall about a job…" As she explained the contents of Neville's letter to me, I strained to hear our friends' conversation behind us. But all that carried from the corner of the room were Hermione's urgent tones and Ron's reassuring ones.

"He also…wanted to know…" Ginny's speech slowed as she was looking over her and my shoulders at Ron and Hermione.

"Ginny!" I scolded quietly, turning her face back toward me.

As if nothing had happened, she continued. "He wanted to know if we'd like to visit him some time soon." Her eyes wandered back over her shoulder.

"Ginny." This time she glared at me before staring at Ron's clock on his bedside table.

I positioned my head so it looked like my eyes were focused on her while actually stretching them over my shoulder at Ron and Hermione, confident that Ginny wouldn't look back up at me at least until one of our friends came back.

Apparently, my assumption was incorrect because I then felt another sharp tap on my side. I looked back down at Ginny, and she hissed, "If I can't watch them, then neither can you." Embarrassed from getting caught, I kept my eyes on the floor until I could hear Ron and Hermione's footsteps coming toward us.

We couldn't read their faces. But Ginny wasn't patient enough to wait for them to speak. "So?" she demanded. Despite the tense situation, I could still feel my lips stretch into a smile and my eyes roll at her eagerness.

Breaking her eye contact with Hermione, Ginny scowled at me then focused on her brother. "So?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Ron. Ron! Bloody hell, Ron! Will you _please_ stop _moving_?" My hands dropped from where they were attempting to fix my best friend's tie, his fumbling fingers having had no luck with the piece of fabric.

"Sorry, mate, I'm just so…" Ron trailed off and froze. "Harry, I don't even know _what_ I'm feeling! It's all just mixed up in a…in a bumbling beehive down here in my stomach." He began to move again. "It's like I'm happy and _know_ what I'm about to do is right, but then a huge burst of nervousness and, and complete petrification comes and _stings_ the happiness." At this point I was just trying to keep from being hit by Ron's wild gesticulating. It didn't help that he had started up his pacing again.

"Look at me, Ron," I said. "You love Hermione. She loves you. And there isn't a single thing that either of you can do about it." I was trying desperately to convince my best friend that he was getting something he truly wanted and even more truly deserved. It was just a little difficult while Ron was in his current…state of mind. "It's your wedding day. So cheer up, mate. The happiest day of your life and all that."

Unfortunately, my little pep talk didn't seem to pick Ron up any. I sighed and called over my shoulder as I walked out the door, "Let me see if I can send Ginny in." I paused by the door. "And if I don't see you before you go out, well, good luck, mate." I smiled and vanished around the corner and through the Gryffindor common room to the girls' dormitories, the enchantment on the girls' stairs usually keeping me out having been lifted for the wedding.

Ginny met me about halfway up her stairs, her face mirroring my own emotions, looking excited, flustered, a tad frustrated, and completely exhausted.

"Hermione's almost ready, just a little nervous. Maybe you can pep her up some," Ginny said, rushing toward me to the guys' dormitories.

I started to tell her about how that might not be such a great idea, seeing how well talking with Ron went, but she obviously wasn't looking for a response because she continued talking.

"I'm going to go see Ron now and get him all ready, so have fun walking our Hermione down the aisle." She gave me a quick peck on the cheek before dashing down the stairs and calling, "Don't trip!"

Just as she was mounting the boys' stairs, I remembered, "Oh, Ginny, Ron's tie–"

"I've got it!"

I really do love that woman. I stared after her with a slight grin until she darted into Ron's and my old dormitory, then I headed up to Hermione's.

I gave a short knock at the dormitory door before entering to see the girl I had grown to love as a sister (_woman_, I scolded myself internally, for to me she would always be the sharp-witted, yet gentle child she was when we had met) gazing self-consciously at her reflection in the window. She turned to greet me with a small nervous smile, and the only thought I could think was _breathtaking_,for that was the only word that even came close to describing her appearance.

Hermione's usually frizzy hair (that I have always found quite lovely, despite the snickers that she would occasionally earn for it) appeared tame, and was twisted back in a fashion that reminded me faintly of her hair during the Yule Ball in fourth year, with wavy strands beginning to peek out, due to the hot weather of the summer's day, I assumed.

Her dress was a picture of elegance and simplicity, with quarter length shear lace sleeves, a graceful v-neck top, and a sleek skirt reaching just below her feet. According to Hermione, I recalled startlingly, it was the same dress Mrs. Weasley had worn when she herself had married, but I quickly shook that mental image from my head with a small, happy laugh.

"Well I'm glad that someone finds all this chaos so amusing," Hermione teased, not unkindly.

"You look beautiful, Hermione," I grinned, and leaned forward to lightly brush my lips against her forehead.

Hermione beamed up at me, slightly flushed at the sincerity of my compliment.

"So do you," she replied kindly, before realizing her error and hurrying to correct herself. "Not _beautiful_, of course! What I meant to say- beautiful was the wrong word….uh"

But she trailed off abruptly at the humorous look on my face, and simultaneously we both burst out into hysterical laughter, and I clutched the edge of one of the dormitory beds for support.

"Good thing Ron isn't here, he'd never let me hear the end of that one." Hermione proclaimed, when the laughter had subsided.

I was happy to notice the small smile that came over Hermione's mouth when she spoke the name of our goofy, loveable best friend.

"Me neither," I chuckled.

As I was picturing my best mate's reaction to Hermione's mistake ("_Why yes, Harry, you do look absolutely __**beautiful **__today"_), Ginny popped her head in from around the corner.

"Five minutes 'till go time" She announced with a mischievous smile in my direction that left my head spinning as she left.

"Shall we then?" I questioned, collecting myself, turning towards the door.

"Wait, Harry!" I heard Hermione's call from behind me.

"Yeah?"

"This is going to sound silly," she mumbled as her face turned to the floor.

"No, of course not, what is it?" I was worried, but it was a comfort knowing Hermione wouldn't get cold feet; I knew how much she loved Ron, and how absolutely right all of this was.

"I just want you to promise me," she looked towards me, "promise me that this isn't going to change anything between the three of us."

"Why would it change anything?" I was puzzled, unable to see how anything could change.

"We wouldn't be where we are today without you Harry, you know you mean so much to the both of us. And well, it's going to be a lot different now, with me and Ron living off on our own, and I want you to promise that the friendship between the three of us won't fade."

I smiled, and rested my hand reassuringly on her shoulder. This had to be hard for her; neither of my best friends were particularly good at expressing what they were feeling.

"Relax, Hermione – you won't be able to get rid of me that easily."

She laughed her warm laugh.

"I'll come visit you so often, that it will probably be annoying, actually," I joked. "I don't ever have to leave, I can even sleep in the same room with you two…it's not like there's any reason you two would ever want time alone."

I batted my eyelashes innocently as she slapped me lightly on the shoulder and shoved me out the door.

We proceeded to walk to the entrance right outside the Great Hall, where the ceremony was about to commence. I peered out the doorway to the front of the room where Ron was standing nervously, and where I would join him as his best man after walking Hermione up the aisle to the altar. It _was _rather unconventional for the man giving the bride away to also be the best man, but Hermione had no other family, and I was honored to have the privilege. Besides, since when had _anything _regarding Ron and Hermione's relationship been _conventional_?

I heard organ music begin to echo from the front of the room, and Ginny gave me a quick thumbs up sign as she began her stroll down the aisle first as the maid of honor, followed slowly by Luna (who, being escorted by a rather nervous looking Neville, was gazing around dreamily).

_She always did seem like the type who would like weddings, _I thought fondly. I was glad that he had convinced Hermione to include her in the wedding: Luna was a kind-hearted girl, and from the way Neville lit up as she lightly gripped his arm as they made their way towards the front of the room, it might not be too long until she got one of her own.

Next in the procession were the Weasley boys (excluding Ron of course. And Fred. One mustn't forget Fred) I swallowed a lump in my throat. No one would ever forget Fred, of this I was sure, and I was happy to see George was actually smiling as he stepped down the aisle.

Next it was our turn. It was the moment. I gently lowered the veil over Hermione's eyes, and I could sense the nervousness in her eyes as she looked up at me with a weak, but fond and excited, smile. I smiled back, with as much confidence as I could muster, hoping to soothe her nerves.

"Are you ready?" I leaned into her to whisper softly.

I saw her smile widen, reaching her eyes. She placed her arm on mine.

_Yes._

And stepped forward.


End file.
